Millions join together in Poland to pray the Rosary and make a special request

Millions asked Our Lady to protect their country.

Millions of Polish Catholics gathered on Saturday for the "Rosary to the Borders" event. Along the country's 2,000-mile-long border, Catholics prayed the Rosary and asked Our Lady to protect their country.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Millions of Polish Catholics held a prayer rally on Saturday, to ask Our Lady to protect their country. Most congregated along the country's 2,000-mile-long border as part of the "Rosary to the Borders" event. Across Poland, another 4,000 locations hosted Rosary prayers for people who could not travel to the border. Millions more prayed at home.

Poland is home to 38 million people, of which 90 percent are Catholic. The country has a long and proud history, but located at a major crossroads between eastern and western Europe, it has frequently been invaded. The people of Poland have been compelled to fight for centuries to secure their freedom and their right to worship.

The Rosary to the Borders event turned out millions of Polish Catholics to pray. During the event, Catholics prayed for the Virgin Mary and God to protect the country. They also celebrated the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, and the 16th century battle of Lepanto.

The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was fought at sea between the Christian Holy League and the Islamic Ottoman Empire. Prior to the battle, the Christian sailors prayed the Rosary and asked for the intercession of God. The battle has long been regarded as a great Christian victory. The commemoration is important, because some people feel Europe is under threat from Islamic terrorism.  There is also an influx of Muslim refugees from the Middle East, but these people, seeking asylum, do not represent a genuine threat. The Church has advised its clergy and members to welcome such refugees.

What will be the effect of millions of people praying the Rosary at the same moment? The answer is impossible to say with certainty, but there can be no harm from such a practice. On the contrary, tremendous graces are likely to follow.